Both players were named on Wednesday in Stuart Pearce's squad for the European Under-21 championships in Sweden next month and, while Walcott is already established in the full England team, Wenger believes that it is only a matter of time before he is joined by Gibbs.

"This year, a player like Kieran Gibbs has been a revelation," said Wenger. "I believe he will play for England and if it happened very quickly, I would not be surprised. We have discovered a player that at the start of the season, no one expected to see."

Gibbs, 19, played throughout the conclusion to the season following an injury to Gael Clichy and Wenger believes that he has the quality to challenge Ashley Cole's status as England's first-choice left-back.

Wenger is also confident that Gibbs has the mental strength to recover from the slip that allowed Ji-Sung Park to score the opening goal in Manchester United's 3-1 Champions League semi-final second leg victory.

"What happened to him in the second leg of the Manchester United game will not happen to him next year," said Wenger.

The Arsenal manager had opposed the inclusion of Walcott in the Under-21 squad, but Pearce regarded the inclusion of players with senior club experience as vital to the balance and strength of his squad.

"We have three or four players who are extremely versatile and can play in a number of positions," said Pearce. "We also have a young squad with players such as Fabrice Muamba, Lee Cattermole, Kieran Gibbs, Danny Welbeck and Jack Rodwell all being available for the next campaign, so this experience will be vital for them.

"I have every confidence in this squad, we are really looking forward to competing with the best Under-21 teams in Europe, and hopefully, doing our country proud with our performances. It should be a fantastic tournament."